Board of Examiners approves structure, length of new CPA examination.

• Position: Certified Public Accountants - Brief Article

The Board of Examiners has approved a recommendation of the Content Committee for a revised four-section Uniform CPA Examination with a length of 14 hours. The four sections will be Auditing & Attestation, Financial Accounting & Reporting, Regulation, and Business Environment & Concepts.

The BOE's decision on the revised structure of the CPA exam was derived from a policy decision--based on current practice analysis findings--on the number of independent assertions (exam sections) considered critical to protect the public's interest when a candidate passes the Uniform CPA Examination. The BOE also relied heavily on input received from the CPA, regulatory and psychometric communities. Responses to the exposure draft Proposed Structure and Content Specifications for the Uniform CPA Examination and Briefing Paper #2 also were considered.

While one, two and three assertion models were considered, a four-section structure was chosen because it had the most support as a model that would assess the necessary breadth of knowledge and skills required of entry-level CPAs in order to protect the public interest.

Determination of test length could only be addressed after...